Draft:Cheryl Hunter

Cheryl Hunter (born in Colorado) is an author who penned "Use It: Turn Setbacks Into Success," where she outlines her story of being abducted and brutally beaten while in Europe. The story has been profiled on several American television outlets such as People Magazine, Dr. Phil, NBC News, Dr. Oz, CNN, Fox, PBS, as well as a TEDx talk she gave on the incident which happened to her in France.

Incident
While traveling abroad in Europe as a teenager, two men promised Hunter a modeling career when instead they kidnapped her for human trafficking, held her captive, raped and tortured her, then eventually left her for dead, as it was explained on a dedicated Dr.Phil television episode airing September 3rd, 2020. She then told Rachel DeSantis, a reporter for Yahoo! Finance, that she was approached by a man with a camera claiming to be a professional photographer in the south of France asked to take modeling shots of Hunter, and she didn't hesitate. Later when they met, she was drugged and whisked to an abandoned construction site where she was repeatedly raped and beaten before being dumped in a park, in what Hunter says law enforcement speculated was a sex trafficking attempt gone awry. She later told Reporter Gwen Moran for Fast Company, " Shortly after the attack, she was in survival mode and was starting down a bad path. But realized that, unless she found a way to look at the attack as something she could get beyond, her attackers would have succeeded in ending her life. So Hunter began looking at the attack as a turning point and became determined to help others through her experience." "“Cheryl Hunter not only survived but went on to thrive as a bestselling author and speaker who's helped hundreds of thousands of people the world over with her remarkable story.” Dr. Phil MsGraw"

Advocacy
Hunter took the incident as a means to help others become aware of sex trafficking and abuse. She now hosts several media events to create awareness of her plight and how others can avaiod being lured into trafficking situations.

Media
Hunter has also worked in Hollywood as a screenwriter under contract for her original writing with CBS, HBO, NBC, and Paramount Pictures. In addition to hosting and producing her the television series Rise, which debuted on CNN’s Headline News Network, Hunter also has a podcast called Trafficked which gives other trafficking survivors an opportunity to share their story.

Publications

 * Use It: Turn Setbacks Into Success, Publisher Venator, 2012, ISBN 0985832401
 * How to Get Unstuck: 7 Steps to Bounce Forward When Life Knocks You Down, Publisher Venator, 2016 ISBN 0985832444